New Members: Azrieli Music Prizes

AZRIELI MUSIC PRIZES

Toronto, Canada

WFIMC: Please tell us about the background, history and legacy of your competition.

Jason van Eyk: Conceived by Sharon Azrieli and established in 2014 by the Azrieli Foundation, the biennial Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) offer opportunities for the discovery, creation, performance and celebration of excellence in music composition. AMP expresses the Foundation’s belief in music as a vital human endeavour, allowing us to express our creativity; to expand our worldview; and to foster positive cultural exchanges. We launched with two Prizes focused on Jewish music – one for a new commission and another to discover an excellent existing work. In 2020, we added a Canadian commissioning prize. In 2024, we plan to introduce the Azrieli Commission for International Music, inviting composers worldwide to engage with humanity’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. All our prizes aim to foster greater intercultural understanding through music.

How have you been affected by Covid-19? What are your plans, your vision for the future?

While there were many logistical challenges, we persevered in giving our laureates all the benefits of their prize package. We quickly converted our 2020 Gala Concert to a livestream event with Medici TV. The reach (58,000 viewers from 65 countries) vastly increased our international audience, matched by overwhelmingly positive feedback for our laureates’ prize-winning works.

Our recording project with Analekta stayed on schedule (New Jewish Music Vol. 3 was released on October 1st). Our NYC debut, while delayed, resulted in a sold-out house and glowing reviews. Our concerts in Israel will be completed before the end of 2021. Using Acceptd as our application platform, and convening our juries online, enabled us to announce our 2022 Laureates on schedule. It’s our most diverse cohort yet and feels like a true reflection of what we have hoped for AMP from the beginning.

Where do you see the biggest chance, the biggest opportunities for your future laureates? Or, to be more direct: why should someone apply to your competition?

Our prize package is one of the largest among music composition competitions. It offers benefits that are more often given to instrumentalists – A $50,000 CAD cash prize, a Gala Concert conducted by the indefatigable Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a commercial recording and two international concert dates, all publicized by the magnificent 8VA Music Consultancy – allowing AMP to open doors and create nurturing networks at key career stages.

Which countries/ regions are most prominent among your competitors?

This year, we received over 180 applicants – 30% more than when we started in 2014. They came from Armenia, North Macedonia, India, Japan, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey and Greece, Canada, Israel, and the U.S.A. We hope to extend our international reach, especially throughout Asia, Latin America and Oceania.

Do you have any wish or suggestion for the WFIMC membership?

As a new WFIMC member, we look forward to networking and learning from our colleagues. It’s time for the music community to build back better. We look forward to playing our part in this momentous task.